Cricket 1903

CRICKET, JUNE 25, 1003. “ T oge th e r joined in C r ick e t ’s m an ly t o i l .” — Byron. ho. 0 3 4 . v o l . x x i i . THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1903. p r i c e ad. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. MR. F. J. COOK. Now on a six months’ visit to England, after living for twelve years at Port Elizabeth, Mr. Cook is a great enthusiast in almost all branches of sport, par­ ticularly cricket. For five years, three of them in succession, he has been captain of the Port Elizabeth eleven, and for three years before that he was honorary secretary and treasurer, while he is usually on all committees connected with visits of touring teams to South Africa. Since 1894 he has played regularly for his colony in the Currie Cup tournament, the chief feature of the South African season, and has made a lot of runs. Nothing pleases him more than to go to the nets during practice and coaoh rising young players who are anxious to improve. He is a cyclist, plays Association football, is a swim­ mer, and is very fond of a gallop on horseback across the veldt. As a hobby he breeds prize dogs — chiefly bulldogs and Irish terriers. In January, 1902, he took a cricket team up country to play the garrisons at Middleburgh, and various other towns, and although there was a risk that they might be attacked on their way by the Boers, recruits for the team were plentiful. At Middleburg they encountered a very strong team, including Mr. C. J. Hartley and one of the Studds, also Captain Taylor, a former Cambridge Blue, and the result was a severe and not unexpected defeat. But he has often taken teams up country. It is much appreciated by up- country folks, although it is not all pleasure. The mode of travel­ ling at the Cape has not yet reached perfection! As to the effeot which the war has had on cricket in South Africa, Mr. Cook said, “ One of the effects of the war and the present depression has been that we have not been able to get as many professionals out there as formerly, and there is no doubt that the loss of good coaching has been severely felt. Again, many of the best players—I might say most of them—have had very little cricket for some years, and naturally this does not tend to improve their play. For all that, present-day cricket in South Africa is decidedly promising.” “ Who, do you think, are the best men there on last season’s form ? ” “ I may perhaps begin with Halliwell, who is absolutely the best wicket-keeper, although he has a first-class understudy in Wallach, who was, I believe, for some time on the ground staff at Lord’s, a position which he found he did not like, so he went back to clerical work in South Africa. Among the best batsmen are Frank Mitchell, Shalders, Louis Tancred, Arthur Bissett, a very good all-round batsman, whose only fault is that he is inclined to be nervous, Murray Bissett, who is still very good, although he did not make many runs last season, Sinclair, Schwarz, late of Middlesex, Crooks (of Port Elizabeth), a very powerful but not indis­ criminate hitter, and Snook, a very good bat who is certainly worth his place in any South African team; he is also a very useful change bowler. A. B. Tancred is too busy to play much now, but he is still a fine cricketer.” “ And the bowlers ? ” “ As to bowlers, we have Cooley, who is fast; he came to England with the last team, and although he did not do much, is still g o od ; he is also a very hard hitter; Kotze, whose experience with the last team has been of inestimable value to him ; in fact, during the lastCurrie Cup tourna­ ment nobody could stand up to him. He is about as fast as Mold, and with that he makes the ball nip back a good deal even on South African wickets; he has everything in his favour, youth, physique, and with such great powers of endurance that, even in the heat of South Africa, he could keep on for forty overs if necessary. I should place Sinclair n ex t; he mixes them up with great judgment, and has improved. As a batsman he is likely to win a match when he once gets g o in g ; he has that knack of Jessop’s of getting back suddenly to a long hop, and